I have a wonderful book for you to read today! Enjoy!
Secrets of the Kashmir Valley Paperback
– July 25, 2020
by Farhana Qazi (Author)
Winner of the 21st Century
Leader Award and the Humanitarian Award American scholar Farhana Qazi tells you a
story that is unforgettable. In this new, special edition, Qazi takes you
inside the world’s most militarized zone to meet the women--peaceful
protestors, political activists, and the prime victims of a brutal war.
Discover Kashmir, a place of great beauty and immense tragedy.
This book is not
about the politics of war, but the people living inside it. Qazi shares the
true, emotional, personal stories of women, who struggle, sacrifice, and
survive against all odds. And to survive, women (and men) hold onto secrets or
they die. Kashmir is an active conflict. It is unsettling and unpredictable.
Every day, someone dies. Someone is detained. Or someone disappears. The valley
of death is also described as ‘Paradise on Earth.’ But in this land of magic
and myth, there are madmen and militaries that trample on Kashmir’s beauty.
After seven decades of war, Kashmiris go on living. They go to school. They
fall in love. They get married. Many have children. They do what seems normal,
despite the protests, politics, and paranoia of living in a place that is not
free. Qazi uses powerful storytelling to reveal the secrets of conflict.
This
book is a heart-breaking reminder that military occupation must end to allow
the Kashmiri people to be free. PRAISE FOR THE BOOK “A brilliant read.
This
book reveals why human security is a global issue.” — U.S. AMBASSADOR PRUDENCE
BUSHNELL
“Qazi gives us insights into rarely visible Kashmir. Her powerful
narrative and sensitive, brilliant storytelling, reveal her personal background
and in-depth research experiences in Kashmir. A highly skilled writer, Qazi
also provides a heart-and-soul connection for the reader that has been featured
in organized panels at the United Nations.” --LOIS A. HERMAN, UNITED NATIONS
“Qazi
brings the colors, smells, people and politics of Kashmir to life. The only
thing more enlightening would be to travel there yourself.” — PORTER FOX,
EDITOR OF THE AWARD-WINNING NOWHERE MAGAZINE
“Farhana Qazi, a Texan of
Pakistani descent, has written a shimmering book about her encounters with the
women of Kashmir, starting with her own mother, who joined the Pakistani Army
to fight for Kashmir. Qazi travelled to this land of haunting beauty to
interview activists and advisors, protestors and politicians, mothers and
martyrs, educators and entertainers, and more. The result is a moving journey
through what has been called “the most beautiful prison in the world.”— DEBORAH
SCROGGINS, AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST.
An American woman sets out on a journey to
understand one of Asia’s longest running wars and the role of women within it.
Farhana’s bravery, open-mindedness, intelligence and tenacity take her into
danger, real lives, raw emotions and ultimately discovery. This is a book that
must be read by those who wish to deeply understand the motivations, lives and
thoughts behind women in Kashmir.” --ROBERT YOUNG PELTON, AUTHOR AND
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER
“Farhana Qazi’s brilliant book combines her unique
personal experience with her deep knowledge of the region, its people and its
culture to tell us a story far more information about today’s events than any
intelligence brief. And it is beautifully written--a joy to read.” --BRIAN
MICHAEL JENKINS, COUNTER-TERRORISM EXPERT
“Secrets of the Valley is an
important book that unveils the quintessential role of women in one of the most
contested areas of the world. It is a deeply touching and personal story that
pulls us closer to the women and men in Kashmir.”--SETH G. JONES, DIRECTOR,
TRANSNATIONAL THREATS PROJECT, THE CENTER FOR STRATEGIC & INTERNATIONAL
STUDIES
“Farhana gives us an extraordinarily different perspective with a focus
on women. For anyone who wishes to understand this land of poets and mystics,
this is essential reading.” --AKBAR AHMED, AUTHOR, PLAYWRIGHT & FORMER
DIPLOMAT
Product Details
· Paperback: 184 pages
· Publisher: Independently
published (July 25, 2020)
· Language: English
· ISBN-13: 979-8665831428
· ASIN: B08DDPRB4D
· Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x
9 inches
Editorial Reviews
From the Inside Flap
A memorable
story of self-invention in a strange land: Farhana Qazi’s unflinching account
of her amazing journey into Kashmir as a storyteller to uncover the truths of
conflict.
When Farhana Qazi arrived in Kashmir, she was unaware of the secrets that women (and men) held close to their hearts. These secrets, or hidden truths, were shielded from the Army in the world’s most militarized zone so that the people could live for another day. After meeting with political activists, prisoners, and peacemakers, Qazi knew this was a story she had to share with the world to call attention to the ‘forever’ conflict. In writing the true, emotional stories of Kashmir, with descriptive prose and powerful storytelling, Qazi hopes that she can engage readers and help them discover Kashmir, a place of immense beauty and great tragedy. Through her travels, crossing mountains between India and Pakistan, Qazi introduces the reader to a people marked by conflict, scarred by trauma, and yet, they live with incredible hope. They live for the right to self-determination. They live to be free.
When Farhana Qazi arrived in Kashmir, she was unaware of the secrets that women (and men) held close to their hearts. These secrets, or hidden truths, were shielded from the Army in the world’s most militarized zone so that the people could live for another day. After meeting with political activists, prisoners, and peacemakers, Qazi knew this was a story she had to share with the world to call attention to the ‘forever’ conflict. In writing the true, emotional stories of Kashmir, with descriptive prose and powerful storytelling, Qazi hopes that she can engage readers and help them discover Kashmir, a place of immense beauty and great tragedy. Through her travels, crossing mountains between India and Pakistan, Qazi introduces the reader to a people marked by conflict, scarred by trauma, and yet, they live with incredible hope. They live for the right to self-determination. They live to be free.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Winner of the 21st
Century Leader Award and the Humanitarian Award
Farhana Qazi is an American scholar, storyteller, and speaker. Her focus is
global conflicts, terrorism & violent extremism, as well as women in war
and peacekeeping.
For nearly twenty years, she has traveled throughout the Muslim world to
understand political Islam, local drivers of extremism and the roots of
conflict. She offers a variety of training courses to the U.S. military and
addresses the worldwide threat.
For her service to the U.S. military, she received the 21st Century Leader
Award, presented by the National Committee on American Foreign Policy in New
York; and the Distinguished Humanitarian Award for her research on women in war
from Southwestern University, her alma mater.
She is the author of Secrets of the Kashmir Valley, a human-interest story
focused on the protracted conflict between India and Pakistan (2020) and other
books in the Kashmir collection. Her other work includes “Invisible Martyrs:
Inside the Secret World of Islamic Female Radicals” which explores the reasons
why Muslim women and girls turn to violent extremism (2018). Qazi received The
Benjamin Franklin Book Award in non-fiction for this book.
Farhana has appeared in the mainstream media: CNN, BBC television and radio,
Public Broadcasting Service, National Public Radio, Fox News, C-Span,
Bloomberg, ABC News, MSNBC, Canadian national television, Voice of America,
Al-Jazeera, and more.
To learn more about her work, visit www.farhanaqazi.com